Research Means Hope Highlights Impact of Federally Funded Medical Research

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has introduced a new social media resource, a Research Means Hope Tumblr feed, to highlight federally funded medical research advances being made by scientists and physicians at the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals, including Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine.

This new resource features content including videos and stories about medical innovations leading to new discoveries and treatments that give hope to millions of Americans suffering from serious illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

The AAMC's Research Means Hope initiative intends its social media site to be a resource for legislators and staff, the media, patients and anyone interested in learning more about the medical discoveries happening as a result of the nation's sustained federal investment in medical research. Scientists and physicians at the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals conduct about half of all external research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Duane Compton, PhD, senior associate dean for research at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, understands the importance of NIH-funded research.

"The NIH is the single largest funding agency for biomedical research in the United States and for research programs at Geisel," he says. "So, the role that it plays and the continued support that it receives from the U.S. government are vital to the success of our biomedical research enterprise, as well as at other medical schools across the country."

The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, founded in 1797, strives to improve the lives of the communities it serves through excellence in learning, discovery, and healing. The nation's fourth-oldest medical school, the Geisel School of Medicine has been home to many firsts in medical education, research and practice, including the discovery of the mechanism for how light resets biological clocks, creating the first multispecialty intensive care unit, the first comprehensive examination of U.S. health care variations (The Dartmouth Atlas), and helping establish the first Center for Health Care Delivery Science, which launched in 2010. As one of America's top medical schools, Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine is committed to training new generations of diverse health care leaders who will help solve our most vexing challenges in health care.